Monthly Archives: March, 2016

Last year, men’s bowling team finished Junior College National Championship at the second place and missed a championship title by a little bit. So, this season, there was only one direction they could go and that was ‘north’ towards a National Championship. A year went past and this season they did it; men’s bowling team won the “Junior College Bowling National Championship”. The team dominated the 20-team field en route to a national title. The team was made up of eight players namely John Kavanuagh, Michael Kissel, James Tagliaferro, Michael Rubin, Evan Susman, Mike Baron, Dean Joseph, and Robert Monte. John Kavanaugh led the eight-man team by bowling a 266 high game followed by Michael Kissel, James Tagliaferro and Michael Rubin who each rolled a 234 high game, a 223 game and a 222 game respectively. It was the overall outstanding winning performances from freshmen Kavanaugh and sophomore James Tagliaferro who shot a collective 1,234 over three games in the doubles event and won the doubles national title and their individual performances along with another sophomore Michael Kissel in the all-events that sealed the title championship for the team. Individually, Michael Kissel recorded a third-place finish for Suffolk County in the all-events standings with 2,369 pins. Besides these players, other major contributor to the championship title was the sophomore Michael Rubin.

Altogether, the team posted a total of 13,100 pins in the tournament and reached the championship title with a 384-point advantage over runner-up Iowa Central. With this title, our men’s bowling team has joined the others from Erie, Vincennes (Ind.) and Schenectady (NY) as just the fourth team so far to win the NJCAA men’s junior bowling national championship since 1982.

After the winning the coveted title, Kissel and Rubin were named to the All-American team and the Coach Rao and his co-coach Rob Dertinger were named coaches of the year.

An interview was requested with the bowling Coach Ken Rao to see how men’s bowling team prepared in order to win the championship title. “This was the best team we have had in 20 years,” Coach Ken Rao affirmed, adding that “although we came second last season, we knew even back then that this was the team that could do it”.

“We won regional and other tournaments in the year 2014 and came second last season and could not win Championship title because we were short by a player in both previous seasons. This year we added a couple of players to the team and went in with the commitment and inspiration. We were quite confident we could with the championship.” Coach explained.

This time of year, when someone talks about eggs most people will think of an Easter egg or a chocolate egg. For Regina Keller, Assistant Academic Chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department, eggs mean a whole lot more.
Ever since she received one from her aunts as a little girl, Keller has been fascinated by jeweled eggs, sometimes known as Fabergé eggs. Faberge eggs are handmade, hinged and jeweled. The eggs are hinged so that they can open. The egg that Keller’s aunts gave her is now almost sixty years old.

These jeweled eggs come in many shapes and sizes, Keller stressed the diversity among the eggs. “Many of the eggs are different, bigger ones are made from goose eggs, the smaller ones are made from regular chicken eggs, they’re also multi-purposed, some of the eggs are for decoration, some can be used as jewelry and some even play music” said Keller.

Although she received her first egg as a child, it took Keller many years to actually start collecting them. One day she said to her husband that she wanted to start an egg collection, and she has been collecting ever since. Once she started collecting, Keller realized how many different types of unique eggs there were. “We were in a store in Connecticut and I saw one of the eggs, I bought it and that’s how I fell in love with them” said Keller. “They’re hard to find because they’re handmade, you can’t just buy them in any store” she added. When discussing why eggs interested her Keller said “I think I found interest in them because they’re all so different, I know people collect things like spoons from every country but I thought these were unique, people then started giving them to me as gifts!” Keller then explained that the popularity of these eggs has grown over the years and certain ones can be sold for $900.
Keller has now been collecting for about fifteen years and has many fascinating stories about her collection, which now features over 100 eggs. One of the most special eggs in Keller’s collection is one that plays her wedding song. While she was at an antique and collectible in store in Las Vegas searching for eggs, she told the working that she wished an egg played her wedding song, so the woman in the store put her in contact with the company that makes the eggs. Keller’s collection was put in a display at the Sachem Library for everyone to see and then in 2007, her collection was featured in a Newsday article.

Keller’s collection has grown over the years, but the way in which she collects has also changed since she first began fifteen years ago. “When I first started, I was very avid about buying and collecting, as time went on I became more discerning toward the eggs and I have become more particular about what I buy. I’m also looking to add to the collection, and my husband feeds on it” she added.
In the future, Regina Keller hopes to continue her collection, as she is always looking for eggs whenever she travels. As she said, her family is always looking to help her with the collection. However, no matter how many eggs she receives, that first one will always be the most special

Suffolk County Community College is one of the top community colleges in New York State where students can go and get a good education at an affordable price. Many students feel that getting all the normal classes out of the way at a community college is not only the best way to go but the smart way.

In recent years Suffolk has increased their tuition and many students have been on high alert about what they are being charged for. Some students know about the charges on their bill that are little and hidden like lab fees but most don’t know about the newest charge the meal plan. As of this school year, Suffolk is charging a $100 fee for students to use their so called state of the art new cafeteria. What caused concern is that many students come to class and go home so why should they be charged to eat in the cafeteria when they don’t have time to?

Kyle Anderson, who had no prior knowledge about the meal plan was in awe about this. “So I am getting charged $200 a year for something that I am never getting to use”? Yes Kyle, the school is charging you for something that you never knew about. Anderson does what at least 80% of the students on campus do, he goes to class and goes home. “That is what a community college is for, you go to class, handle your business and go home”. “I do not need to be wasting my money in the café when I could just have food from home”.

Mr. Anderson is right, and with that being said, students should have a choice about this meal plan. If you are only here for class, then why waste $100 on something like this. The college should give everyone a choice whether to opt in or out of the meal. Pam Beasley who also attends the college is a big fan of the meal plan. “It is awesome knowing that I can just wake up and go to class and know that if I get hungry, I could just stop by the café and get a little something to eat”. “I don’t have to worry about packing enough food to last throughout the day since I have a prepaid meal plan”. Sounds like a committed customer to the food services

Sure it can come in handy but students believe that they should have a choice because they know what is right for their body. Robert Prokopiak, who is one of the managers that over sees the dining services at Suffolk Community College, states “Our offerings include a number of new dining options on the Ammerman Campus, including new national brands, convenience locations, and quality menus items”. The new services are well done by the college but many students don’t use the Cafe on a regular basis.
. He kindly declined our request to get answers on our comments about the meal plan. Looks like the meal plan is a lock and nothing is going to cause it to go away but the students who pay the most out of the 3 parties related to the college should have a choice. The students are not even aware of the situation like Kevin Cruz. Cruz said that he has been on the campus since the meal plan became in effect and had no clue. “So your telling me I have $200 to spend on the café food, and I had no idea”. “Why can’t I just cash out my $200 because I’m not going to use it and I’m not wasting my money eating random food.

The college believes that this is what the students have been waiting for since they spent so much money on the cafeteria last year. So you can say that the college caught up with the students and made sure that every student enjoyed the food services. Sometimes the meal plan comes in handy but you should have a choice to either opt in to it or better yet the money you don’t use on it, gets sent right back to your pocket.

With help from the Island Outreach Foundation, Suffolk was able to open up their veteran’s resource center on the Eastern Campus. Island Outreach Foundation was kind enough to donate over $50,000 in order to help support veterans who are enrolled or plan on enrolling at Suffolk. The main goal of the resource center is to help aid veterans with advice on possible career advice such as a possible major they would want to study as well as assisting them in finding jobs after they graduate from Suffolk.

“This generous grant from Island Outreach Foundation will enable Suffolk County Community College to provide the support that veterans want: a single point of contact with trained staff to guide their transition as they pursue their educational goals,” said Thomas Tyson, College Coordinator of Veterans Affairs (sunysuffolk.edu).

There are more than 700 students who are veterans that are currently attending Suffolk. Suffolk County is home to the most veterans in New York State according to Suffolk’s website. “Many students do not realize how many veterans there are on campus, including myself. I feel like this is a very nice gesture from the college,” said George a student at Suffolk. There are expected to be more and more veterans enrolling in the upcoming semesters because of the new veteran’s resource center.

Shannon O’Neill, director of student veteran affairs at Suffolk said, “It is important for SCCC to support our student veterans because they have served and sacrificed so much for our every day freedoms. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to work with such incredible students that have made such a selfless decision. The Veterans Resource Centers have been established on each campus to assist questions regarding their educational benefits, community resources and to provide assistance with transitioning from military to civilian life.”

There are plans to establish a veteran’s resource center on each campus in the coming weeks. There are veterans that attend Suffolk on each campus so the college wants everybody who is a veteran to have the luxury of the new resource centers.

“I am glad that Suffolk is supporting the veterans because they mean so much to the community. This is a step in the right direction for them,” said an anonymous student at Suffolk.

The veteran’s resource center on the Eastern Campus opened up in late January prior to the start of the spring 2016 semester with a ribbon cutting ceremony. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin was joined by President Dr. Shaun L. McKay to cut the ribbon and open up the resource center.

Congressman Zeldin also discussed bringing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VetSuccess to Suffolk. The VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) program serves to help veterans and service members achieve their goals through a coordinated delivery of on-campus benefits, assistance and counseling, leading to completion of their education and preparing them for their careers after Suffolk.

The college’s website lists many other benefits student veterans can take advantage of such as free tutoring, counseling services for educational planning, academic advisement, career assistance and mental health. There are also career fairs with guest military personnel speakers who are former college students as well as career programs geared toward women student veterans.

The women’s lacrosse team, runner up in the 2015 Region XV Championship against Nassau Community College, is said to be a team to reckon with this upcoming spring season.

Barbara and Mia Johnson, twin sisters ages 21 who have played for the team since its first year of formation at the college, looked back on their years of playing as a Shark fondly. Both sisters played throughout their high school careers, and were excited to be attending a college that was forming a women’s lacrosse team as they were beginning their careers here in 2013. Barbara, still a student at Suffolk, proudly spoke of her former teammates saying that, “We got along better than most teams, because there were no cliques. We used our talent and worked together to sometimes surprise even ourselves with how well we did.”

The team surely surprised themselves all the way to the Region XV championship where they triumphed over Nassau Community College and were runner up. This has been the biggest success for the team thus far in its two years of existence. The team has greatly improved over time, as scores rose from a loss of 19-0 at Dean College, to a win of 15-14 at Nassau. According to Barbara, “We went against some talented schools but we worked just as hard as teams who have been together for years. And it started to show.”

Mia Johnson, now a transfer student at Farmingdale State College, didn’t hesitate to say that “If I could still play for Suffolk’s lacrosse team I would.” (Both the girls played for two years, the maximum time allowed for a community college). “We built a team and a bond that we didn’t see in others on the field. I think that is what got us to where we ended up at.” They both spoke fondly and respectfully of their former coach, now the former coach to Suffolk’s women’s lacrosse as a whole, as he transferred to a middle school on the island to coach lacrosse to younger students. The now head coach, Michelle MenDell, is “A great asset and leader to the girls who remain and who have just joined the team.”

Both Johnson sisters were in agreement that they had no doubts that the new team will take the college far, and they have high hopes that they not only make it to the 2016 Region XV Championships, but this year go home with the win. The first game of the 2016 spring season is March 1st at SUNY Farmingdale, and this year, there’s no doubt in everyone’s mind that the Sharks will be taking a big bite out of their opponents.

With a week full of classes and work at the end of the day, students tend to want something to break the monotony of it all. Intramurals, which are provided on all three campuses, are a perfect way to incorporate some fun and activity during the day.

This Spring semester the Ammerman campus offers 6 different intramurals for students to get involved with including basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball/badminton, ballroom dancing and Zumba. Each of these are held within the facilities of the Brookhaven Gymnasium.

Intramurals originally came about for the students that wanted to get involved without necessarily joining an athletic team. “Intramurals bring everyone together in a relatively low-pressure environment,” explained Kerry Swanson, the Intercollegiate Athletic and Intramurals Coordinator, “With intramurals, there isn’t that pressure from the school or perhaps a coach.”

Almost all intramurals are student ran with an exception to Zumba, which is instructed by certified Zumba trainer, Genalin Shea. Shea also instructs classes at Zone Z Fitness, with her friend Sarah Sclafani, located in Bayport and at St. James Rehabilitation Center where she is a recreational therapist.

The remaining intramurals have student supervisors that are in charge of making sure everyone signs in.

Swanson estimates that on the Ammerman Campus alone, roughly 300 students participate in intramurals. She said, “Being a commuter school makes it harder. If people don’t have gym classes in the building where these intramurals are being held, they’re not really seeing what’s going on.” Which is true. Many people show up for their classes and then leave to go home or to work.

All intramurals are held during the common hour time slot of 11:00 to 12:15, mainly on Wednesdays, in addition to a few held on Mondays and Fridays. For students who don’t particularly wish to stick around during the day for these activities, the school also hosts 3 tri-campus events on 3 different Thursday nights which may fit into more schedules. These events include dodge ball, volleyball and 5 v. 5 basketball. Each of which are open to all Suffolk students on any campus and are accepted in groups or even by yourself.

Students may choose to get involved with these intramurals and events. However, if they are not interested in any of these, there are opportunities to start your own intramurals. Swanson explains that if we have the space and the students willing to participate, they can start new intramurals. In the past there have been students who started up ultimate Frisbee and on the West Campus, a small group of students asked about starting a soccer intramural and since, it has gained traction and attracted a few more students.

Having enough space is the main obstacle. “On the West Campus, the only facility they have is the Field House and on Fridays, they don’t have access to any space,” Swanson explains, “on the Ammerman Campus, the best time is Wednesdays during common hour and on Fridays, but not a lot of students are on campus Fridays.” The Riverhead campus has the biggest issue with space since they don’t have an athletic complex, just outdoor fields.

There are several opportunities to get involved with intramurals. If interested, you can stop by the athletic office where all intramural events are posted and where they have brochures listing intramurals, as well as the tri-campus events.

as higher education day, Dr. Adams who is the colleges vice president of student affairs traveled to Albany with other students to fight for a decrease in our students tuition rates while also standing up to the state and demanding that they pay there fair share to our college. The rise of the tuition rate at our college is affecting many students negatively, causing issues and dilemmas for our student body. Books and supplies alone are estimated to be around $1,500. All of our schools expenses add up and are overwhelming. The student and faculty members need to come together and make a stand so our voice can be heard by the state, showing that we are willing to fight for a decrease in tuition, to stand up in order to keep our education affordable and accessible. Our student body is very diverse, every student having there own story and struggle. The student body must voice its frustration about the rapid rising tuition rates so our struggles can be heard.

According to the website collegecalc.org the estimated cost at Suffolk is predicted to have an increase up to $32,626 in five years for our students enrolling in a two year degree in 2021. In fifteen years the estimated cost for a two year degree for students enrolling in 2031 is predicted to go up to $53,145. The annual increase has become too much. Suffolk has always been known to be an affordable local school for those who are determined to get an education but are not as fortunate to have the money, or a lack of resources, to start off there college journey.

Suffolk is a great way to kick start ones college degree without becoming broke or engulfed in student loans, but the rapid price increase will affect many students chances of getting a local, affordable college degree. In an economy time period that is already struggling it is important to keep opportunities opened for people that are willing to succeed in life but just need access to the right tools. It is important to keep our community educated but we cannot do this if we do not allow the right resources or chances to be offered to people who want an education.

In 2002 the schools in-state tuition rate coasted $2,716 and out-of-state was $5,146. From 2002 to today, you see a rapid aggressive price increase, providing indications that the schools rising tuition over the next few years will continue to sky rocket unless we speak up together and have our student body do something about this dilemma. This was Dr. Adams third year traveling with a group of students to Albany so the students can voice there stories and struggles, while gaining a valuable experience.

Taylar Schubart is a current student here at Suffolk paying an in-state tuition rate. When asked about how the tuition rising has affected her she responded, “I was able to remain in college thankfully after the tuition increase because I receive financial aid or else I would not have been able to go.” Taylar, like many students, has the passion and drive to work hard towards gaining a knowledgeable college experience, but lacks many of the resources so needed to ask for outside financial support. Most students at Suffolk attend this college because it is affordable, but slowly making Suffolk no longer affordable will not only cause issues among the student body as it adds stress and dilemmas, but will also force many students to be unable to return due to their financial positions.

Falah Jalali is a current student paying an out-of-state tuition. She discussed how the increase affected her, saying “I currently don’t have a car so I am commuting to the college by taking buses and walking which can be a struggle. When the tuition increased that just made me that much further away from being able to purchase a car and increasing my struggle to attend college.”

Our college has some exceptional students that, when given the right opportunities and resources, have the ability to excel to new found heights, but the tuition increases will block many students from being given the chance to do so. Problems such as traveling to and from school due to financial issues is a problem that students and faculty members coming together can help solve by letting students pay less to achieve more. This is why the Albany trip was so important. If our students did not have to work as many long hours on top of being a full time student, they would be able to focus on there academics more, as well as being able to become more involved in school activities or sports with more free time.

NYS community colleges should be contributing 40% that would be a share of over $78 million, but what Suffolk is currently receiving is 26%, which comes out to about $50.5 million. If we received the full 40% imagine the possibilities for our students! Not only how much lower the tuition could be at SCCC but also how much more our students could be able to achieve when they no longer have to stress out about tuition and working countless extra hours on top of their studies in order to be able to attend here. The sky becomes the limit.

Dr. Adams describes our student’s presence in

Picture of Dr. Adams- Vice President of Student Affairs taken on 3/9/16

Albany as, “A powerful Presence. The students all had chances for there voices to be heard, making the trip well worth it. I was most impressed with the students this year and was in awe with there dedication.” Thanks to faculty like Dr. Adams, our students continue to have a chance to be heard. Everyone must wait until April 1st to find out if the trip to Albany was a success at gaining the money requested from the state, but no matter what we seem to have a remarkable student body that will continue to stand up for what is needed and go forward with strength.

“Getting students to apply for internships isn’t the problem, it’s getting them to know about it.”

Have you ever heard of the Co-op Ed & Internship Program? Of course you have; you just don’t remember. Oh, you know! Remember when you went to visit colleges, and the representative hits you with a three ton truck load of information about how you can save money, and then you zoned out for half a second due to their monotone and/ or obviously rehearsed, fake- cheerful voices boring you to death, leading you to miss this piece of golden information? (It’s totally on purpose. Okay, so maybe it’s not, but it sure feels like it!)

“I didn’t even know that I could take an internship course in place of [my Humanities] class.” Rhea Morris, current SCCC student on the Grant campus.

Well, fear not my similarly minded colleagues; I have what you need to know. (And more!) Let’s get down to business- first and foremost, what is Co-op Ed & Internship Program?

The Cooperative Education and Internships is a program that allows students to enroll into courses in which, for some, they would only have to attend weekly one hour seminars. In the meantime they would be working in the fields of their potential jobs, gaining experience and network. There are some programs however that have shorter required hours, but you would have to attend class normally.

Each course has a college credit of 3 or higher, allowing you to gain experience, education and new professional connections in the field of your choice, or even a one you would never had thought to follow, all the while gaining college credit. Best part? Everything you need to know and how to apply is on the SCCC website.

Okay, I lied… that wasn’t the best part, it’s the easiest. This is the best part: you get the opportunity to travel away from here, our sweetly sunny SUNY Suffolk. Yes, you read that right- travel! As in, other states, countries- continents! And if you don’t know the difference, please return to the fifth grade to get reeducated. Thank you.

You can even get into Disney for free, kind of… (If you call manual labor free…). So beside the point! Which is: by rolling into the Co-op Ed & Internship Program, you can get opportunities that you may not be able to get otherwise, like, ever. With this program, graduating can come sooner, and you can leave with a better outlook on your future, and self.

Oh, did I mention you could potentially get paid? You heard me: mullah, green, dough, guap, cash, bread, bank, bills, dollars, etc. You get the point. Some of the internships offered are paying internships which means you literally get paid to learn.

See? Learn something new every day.

Unfortunately, not every internship will offer you all the sweet deals listed here: in fact, if you look on your Sain’s Report, it will not tell you whether or not your program allows you to participate in any internship during a semester. Professor Miller has been fighting to get that changed.

“Getting students to apply for internships isn’t the problem, it’s getting them to know about it.” Professor Veronica Miller, internship professor of the 203 Women’s Studies and head of the Financial Aide facility on the Ammerman campus.

“It is not right that students have this kind of opportunity and don’t know about it. Students do get emails about the internships but they don’t get very much detail about them or know how they can apply. Furthermore, how many students actually read the nonreply emails sent to them? I hope that that changes someday but until then, I am here.”

Until then, Sharks, if you have any more questions:

Visit the FAQs page or email internships@sunysuffolk.edu/ millerv@sunysuffolk.edu with your name, ID number and your questions. (Prof. Veronica Miller, millerv@sunysuffolk.edu, will be able to answer more specific questions for you. Professor Miller is located in the Financial Aide department on the lower floors of the Ammerman Building across the halls of the Registrars offices.)

Please be sure to use your school provided email as administration, staff and faculty are not encouraged to contact student via personal email to/ from school emails.

Just two years removed from their World Series bid, the Suffolk Baseball team gears up for another year with high expectations. A Championship run is the annual goal for this team, as they try to push further than just a first round exit like last season.

Just one game away from making another run at the World Series, the Sharks lost their regional final to Nassau Community College 14-6, giving the Suffolk its worst loss that whole season. But that loss is way behind the players and Head Coach Eric Brown, has had this team working hard since the fall of this year.

Coach can only do so much during the off season and its up to players like outfielder Joe Deland, a 2nd-year player under Brown. “This being my last year at Suffolk, I really took leadership this season and made sure our new players had the same mindset as I do and some of the veteran players did for me when I was a new to the team.”

The Sharks opens up on the road to Monroe College, which all players are excited for being is that the Sharks lost the only meeting to Monroe 16-11. “We really want this game, not just because who it is, but it would be a great way to start the season. Plus, we face them three times this year so, there will obviously be motivation to make a statement in those three meetings” said pitcher Joe Murphy.

The Sharks struggled throughout the early part of March last year, as they started the 2015 season 0-6, and hope to not repeat that this season. “We got into trouble early lost our first six but the coaches didn’t panic, which didn’t put any pressure on us players” said Deland. “I think we definitely benefit from great coaching because not many teams are going to start as poorly as we did and still be a game away from the Series.”

Deland was Suffolk’s best hitter last season posting a batting average of .315 and also had 21 RBI’s which is a team best in both category’s last season. “First thing I realized was, I had been seeing the ball well when I was hitting early in the season and you anticipate slumps throughout the season because no one is perfect. But I didn’t skip a beat and played pretty well.” After performing at such a high level, Deland looks to be even better this time around as he sets the bar higher for himself. “You have to motivate yourself it you want to be really great at something. I try to do something better each year that’s the goal. That’s the only way to progress and get better; challenge yourself to new things.

The College Reporter

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SCCC Reporter is a work in progress of students enrolled in the Ammerman campus journalism practicum (internship) course. Students assume section editor positions, reporting positions and collaborate to produce news reports, feature stories, arts and entertainment articles and sports stories that cover campus events and activities.
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